Two Diamond Dawgs Listed in Top 20 of MLB Draft Prospects
MLB Pipeline released its 2022 Top 100 Draft Prospects list, and a pair of Mississippi State standouts stand back-to-back in the pecking order.
Right-handed pitcher Landon Sims and catcher Logan Tanner were ranked No. 19 and No. 20, respectively. Both athletes had tremendous 2021 seasons and played a big part in navigating their Bulldogs through the College World Series to claim the university's first-ever national championship.
Sims was one of MSU's top pitchers and was incredibly reliable when brought in to pitch in relief. In 56.1 innings of play, he had a 5-0 record and 13 saves, including one in the third game of the CWS against Vanderbilt. The junior posted a 1.44 earned run average and had 100 total strikeouts-- roughly four per game-- while allowing only nine runs scored on 29 total hits. When Sims was brought into the game, it was all but a lock for an MSU victory.
Tanner often found himself as Sims' right-hand man, and the two seemed to work extremely well together. On defense, the junior had a 0.995 fielding percentage with 700 putouts-- a stat line that is impressive on its own. However, Tanner excelled on offense as well and seemed to improve as the season went on. He finished 2021 with a 0.287 batting average and accounted for 70 hits, 53 runs batted in and 45 runs scored. Tanner also had a team-high 15 home runs, including a walk-off game-winner against Eastern Michigan on March 13.
Sims and Tanner are expected to bring a lot to the table this season as two veteran leaders for the Bulldogs. Both have shown that they have what it takes to compete at the highest level, and although their contributions are quite different, they help their team tremendously.
The road to a second-consecutive national championship kicks off on Feb. 18 when the Bulldogs take on Long Beach State in Starkville.